


Poetic Justice

by wrennette



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Ezra did not have a good childhood and that left its marks, Ezra's secrets have secrets, Ezra-centric, M/M, Vin is too pure too good a cinnamon roll (that could totally kill you), poorly written accents, sex as a bargaining chip (because this is Ezra), who'd have guessed?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6271819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrennette/pseuds/wrennette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezra had plenty of fancy words, he had other men’s poetry and all the latest topics of conversation.  And he couldn’t read a lick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Poetic Justice

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the boys, and promise to return them in more or less the same condition I borrowed them in.

Ezra laughed when Vin asked for his help, because what else could he do? It wasn’t as though he could help. When he sobered somewhat, he knew how cruel it must have sounded. But what was he to do? How was he to admit that most deeply held and shameful secret? He laughed again, wry and self deprecating this time. Oh he had plenty of fancy words, he had other men’s poetry and all the latest topics of conversation. And he couldn’t read a lick.

The letters he could manage, and numbers had always been easy for him, arithmetic like breathing. But once a word reached four or five letters, he simply lost the ability to cipher the squiggles into comprehensible sound. He could sign his name, and nicely too, but beyond that he was illiterate as a savage. He chortled again. Hell, he was more illiterate than some savages. 

Of course, in vicious poetic justice, it was Vin who discovered. Ezra was trying to puzzle out a wanted poster in the jail, when the sharpshooter wandered in and began discussing the miscreant in question. Ezra had only managed to decipher the name Tom Jones though, and the crime of rape. 

There were other longer words, and he thought one of them might be murder, but he had only gotten as far as m-u-r before Vin came in, and it was soon quite clear that he wasn’t able to follow the conversation. Vin stopped short, staring a little, then coming closer, reaching out to take the poster Ezra had been scowling at.

“Ye can’t read, can ye?” Vin asked gently. “No more’n I could ‘fore I asked Miz Travis.” Ezra blushed deeply, looking away. “Ain’t no shame in it, I jest - I jest - damn Ezra. All them fancy words ye know,” he trailed off, blushing.

“Mothah had more important things to teach me than mah lettahs, and my other family had no need for such learnin’. I’m told I was rathah a slow child in any regard,” Ezra said softly, and Vin swallowed thickly, reaching out to cup Ezra’s chin in his hand and pull it around. Ezra’s cheeks glistened with tears and glowed with shame, his eyes downcast, refusing to look up at Vin.

“Ah, ‘tain’t no matter ta me Ezra,” Vin murmured, then gently pulled the smaller man in for a hug. “I reckon Miz Mary would help ye liken she helped me.”

“Ah couldn’t bear it,” Ezra whispered. “Oh Vin, please, don’t tell? Please, I’d do anything.” He leaned up and brushed his lips against the corner of Vin’s mouth, eyes closed tearfully and body trembling with shame. Vin grunted sharply in surprise and jerked Ezra into a tighter embrace, turning his face away as his body tried to react to the offer.

“Ye know I’d like that Ezra, but I ain’t that type a man,” Vin growled. “Want ye in my bed, but not like that, not thinkin’ ye need to use yer body to pay fer my silence. I won’t tell no one, an’ I don’t want payin’. Yer a good friend ta me Ezra, we’ve had our differences ‘tis true. But we’re friends, an’ if’n it shames ye fer it ta be known ye can’t read none, then I won’t say nothing. I’d help ye though, if’n ye’d like. Would be a right good way to be sure I know my own lessons, ta teach them on ta ye.”

“You, you’d really?” Ezra asked softly, eyes gone big with hope, and Vin nodded, leaning in to brush his lips against Ezra’s temple. 

“My word as a Tanner baby,” Vin promised. “I’ll teach ye as I know, an’ I won’t never take advantage of ye.”


End file.
